(Mostly) Good - Off-duty Secret Service agent thwarts purse snatch

This is a discussion on (Mostly) Good - Off-duty Secret Service agent thwarts purse snatch within the In the News: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly forums, part of the The Back Porch category; Off-duty Secret Service agent fires handgun to thwart New Milford purse-snatching suspect - NewsTimes.com
New Milford, CT
Off-duty Secret Service agent fires handgun to thwart ...

NEW MILFORD -- An off-duty Secret Service agent fired a warning shot at a box-cutter-wielding thief who injured a Big Y grocery store employee on Memorial Day after stealing a customer's purse, police said.
At 3:21 p.m., the agent chased the thief, identified as Ian Sprague, 36, of Candlewood Mountain Road, into the woods behind the grocery store on Route 7 after Sprague used a box-cutter-style razor blade to cut an employee's hand and fled the store.
The employee was injured while trying to subdue Sprague after he got into a tussle with the purse's owner and some other employees.
When the agent caught up to Sprague in the nearby woods, he drew his handgun and ordered Sprague to drop his weapon, police said.
Sprague refused to comply, and the agent fired a warning shot into the ground, police said.
Sprague then tossed the box-cutter away and complied with the agent's instructions until police arrived, police said.
The employee's hand wound required several stitches to close.
Sprague was charged with second-degree assault, third-degree larceny and carrying a dangerous weapon.

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My main question is what LE agency teaches warning shots as a protocol?

Just remember that shot placement is much more important with what you carry than how big a bang you get with each trigger pull.www.ddchl.com
Texas CHL Instructor
Texas Hunter Education Instructor
NRA Instructor

I'm betting that it was his service pistol, and has been said, the administrative fallout and paperwork had he shot the guy would've probably been pretty significant, and possibly negatively affected his career. If he wasn't a SS agent I'm thinking he probably would've shot the guy.

Well...I guess everything turned out alright. I consider warning shots to be a big no-no, though. The bullet may have been deflected by a rock or else, while the agent had his gun pointed at the ground, the BG could have drawn a gun and possibly used it.

Well...I guess everything turned out alright. I consider warning shots to be a big no-no, though. The bullet may have been deflected by a rock or else, while the agent had his gun pointed at the ground, the BG could have drawn a gun and possibly used it.

I'm sure the SS agent is well trained enough to have considered such things.

Side note, anyone curious about what our dear Chief Socialist would do if one of his detail was arrested for shooting a purse-snatcher?